After an 8 a.m. start on Bay Street, Rock 'n' Roll Savannah Marathon & 1/2 Marathon runners made their way west from the historic district.

About 30 minutes later, the first runners charged east on Liberty Street and toward the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist on Lafayette Square, where bagpipers were blasting. The runners then passed Troupe Square, headed north on Price Street and looped around Oglethorpe Avenue on an extended jaunt through downtown Savannah.

Organizers tweaked the course this year to give runners more time in the historic district, and judging by their smiles, they definitely approved.